Animal feeding system

ABSTRACT

An animal feeding system particularly suitable for dispensing prepared food servings to a domesticated animal such as a dog, includes an enclosure in which a number of food servings can be stored for later feeding to the animal. At pre-selected feeding times, the servings are retrieved by a dispensing mechanism that carries them to the vicinity of a feed opening in the enclosure. The feeding times can be selected or altered by either a local keypad or from a remote location by way of a telephone line interface.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending applicationSer. No. 07/209,420 filed Jun. 20, 1988, and issued as U.S. Pat. No.4,932,361 on Jun. 12, 1990.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to animal feeding systems, andmore particularly to apparatus with which a domesticated animal can befed individual food servings prepared in advance, at pre-selectedfeeding times that can be set either at the site of the apparatus or viaan outside telephone line.

2. Description of the Known Art

Apparatus capable of dispensing animal feedings at predeterminedintervals is generally known. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,617,874(Oct. 21, 1986) and 4,450,790 (May 29, 1984) show carousel-type fooddispensers in which a circular cover with an arcuate cut opening isrotated through a motor drive to register the opening with each of anumber of feed trays at selected times. The feeding times are preset byinternal programming of the motor drives, and no provisions are made foraltering of the preset feeding times from a remote location by way of,e.g., a telephone line interface.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,780,702 issued Dec. 25, 1973, discloses an animalfeeding and watering device in which the lowermost tray of a set of feedtrays stacked one atop the other, is conveyed via a belt to an animalfeeding position. The patent does not, however, show or suggest means bywhich operating parameters for the device such as the time fordispensing of each feed tray can be set via a decoding interfacearrangement with an outside telephone line.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the invention is to overcome the above and othershortcomings in the known animal feeding apparatus.

Another object of the invention is to provide an animal feeding systemcapable of dispensing stored food servings to a domesticated animal suchas a dog when left alone one or more days.

A further object of the invention is to enable feeding times for each ofthe stored servings to be selected or altered by the animal owner orother authorized caller from a remote telephone.

Another object of the invention is to provide an animal feeding systemin the form of a portable unit, for storing a number of prepared foodservings in the order in which they are to be dispensed to the animalover a period of time.

A further object of the invention is to provide an animal feeding unitcapable of stand alone operation, or of acting as a master unit whenconnected with identical slave units to dispense food servings to anumber of animals maintained in separate quarters.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an animal feedingunit capable of storing individually prepared servings over an extendedperiod of time without spoilage.

Another object of the invention is to provide an animal feedingapparatus capable of playing a pre-recorded tape of an owner's voice atpredetermined times for the comfort of the animal and/or reproducing anowner's voice transmitted by way of a telephone line to the animal.

Another object of the invention is to provide self-contained animalfeeding apparatus in which bowls that have been emptied of food servingsby an animal, are stored in a compartment until removal by the owner.

According to the invention, animal feeding apparatus includes a cabinetwith a feed opening. Storage means in the cabinet stores a number ofprepared food servings, and dispensing means operatively associated withthe storage means retrieves the food servings and conveys them to thevicinity of the feed opening for feeding to the animal at certainfeeding times selected by the owner. Control means enables each of thestored food servings to be retrieved and conveyed to the animal forfeeding at the selected times as entered via input means. In oneembodiment, the input means includes decoding means to which a remote"touch-tone" telephone is connected when the owner or other authorizedperson dials a pre-assigned number from the telephone.

The various features of novelty that characterize the invention arepointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming apart of the present disclosure. For a better understanding of theinvention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by itsuse, reference should be had to the accompanying drawing and descriptivematter in which there is illustrated and described a preferredembodiment of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an animal feeding apparatus according tothe invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view as taken through line 2--2 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view through a part of the apparatus in FIG. 1, astaken along line 3--3;

FIG. 4A is a top view, partly in section, of the apparatus in FIG. 1 anas seen along line 4A--4A;

FIG. 4B is a sectional view of the apparatus in FIG. 1 as seen alongline 4B--4B;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of conveyor belt deflecting means shown inFIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a top view of the conveyor belt deflecting means shown in FIG.5;

FIG. 7 is a schematic block diagram of control circuitry with inputmeans for enabling food servings stored in the apparatus of FIG. 1 to bedispensed to an animal at times selected through the input means; and

FIG. 8 is a schematic block diagram of a telephone line interfacearrangement for the control circuitry of FIG. 7, by which controlparameters including feeding times can be set from a remote telephone.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of animal feeding apparatus 10 according tothe invention.

A cabinet 12 made of, for example, fiberglass with suitable interiorreinforcing members (not shown) houses the various operating componentsof the apparatus 10, and has sets of casters 14 to facilitate easymovement of the apparatus 10 from one place to another. Casters 14preferably are capable of being locked in position.

As shown in FIG. 1, the present feeding apparatus 10 basically iscomprised of three sections. A storage section 16 of the cabinet 12 hasa first lockable access panel 18, and contains individual food servingsfor feeding to an animal at selected times over one or more days. Awarming section 20 with a second, hinged access panel 22 contains foodheating elements and a dispensing mechanism which retrieves foodservings contained in the storage section 16, for feeding at theselected times to the animal. Much of the electrical control circuitryfor the apparatus 10 may also be located behind the second access panel22 in a protective compartment (see FIG. 2).

A food delivery section 24 with a third, hinged access panel 26 houses aconveyor arrangement (see FIGS. 2 and 4B) by which each of the retrievedstored food servings is conveyed to the vicinity of a feed opening 28 inthe cabinet 12. Another opening 30 in the cabinet 12 allows access to asupply of water for the animal at all times. A sliding panel 32, shownin a closed position in FIG. 1, serves to block entry through the feedopening 28 at times other than the selected feeding times.

Typical dimensions for the cabinet 12 are, for example, 36 inches (91.44cm) long, 30 inches (76.2 cm) high at the storage section 16, and 12inches (30.48 cm) high at the food delivery section 24. Of course, thefood delivery section having the feed opening 28 at its top should notbe higher than would allow the animal to reach the feed opening 28and/or easily drink from the water bowl opening 30 when desired.

Since it is important that the apparatus 10 be level for properoperation of its internal mechanisms, a bubble level 34 is provided onthe cabinet 12, for example, atop the food delivery section 24 as shownin FIG. 1. Conventional level adjustment means (not shown) may beassociated with some or all of the casters 14 to facilitate properleveling of the apparatus 10.

Input means 36 including a conventional key pad 38 and a liquid crystal(LC) display 40 are mounted on the cabinet 12 atop the food deliverysection 24, and are protected when not used by a hinged lid 42. Aspeaker 44 is also mounted on the cabinet 12 next to the input means 36in the FIG. 1 embodiment for reproducing a pre-recorded tape, or a voicetransmitted over outside telephone lines for the comfort of the animalbeing serviced by the apparatus 10.

A data port 46 is provided on the side of the cabinet 12 for the purposeof coupling internal control circuitry with that of one or moreidentical units for use in kennels or the like. In such cases, one"master" unit acts to control a number of "slave" units whereinessential operating parameters for all of the units are entered via theinput means 36 of the master unit.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the present animal feeding apparatus10, taken along line 2--2 in FIG. 1. Various operating mechanisms of thestorage section 16, warming section 20, and food delivery section 24 areshown mounted within the cabinet 12.

In the disclosed embodiment, storage section 16 enables a number ofbowls 48 each containing individually prepared food servings to bestored behind the first access panel 18 (FIG. 1), inaccessible to theanimal when left alone with the apparatus 10. Each bowl 48 is supportedon a corresponding hinged shelf 50. The hinged shelves 50 are supportedin cantilever fashion at the right side of a movable endless belt 52from which the shelves 50 depend as viewed in FIG. 2. "V"-cut hingejoints 54 between the shelves 50 and the belt 52 allow the shelves 50 tofold downwardly after passing a transfer location 56 at which the bowls48 are retrieved to be dispensed by the food delivery section 24. Asshown in FIG. 2, allowing the individual shelves 50 to fold when movingpast the transfer location 56, permits the interior volume of thestorage section 16 to be minimized.

The belt 52 together with an upper idler roller 58 and a lower driveroller 60 form a meal storage conveyor which is driven by a conventionalstepper motor 57 (shown in FIG. 4). The motor may be one available from,e.g., Oriental Motor Company and is mounted for driving engagement withthe lower drive roller 60. The belt 52 runs in the direction shown bythe arrows when the motor 57 is energized by a suitable controller anddriver contained in an electronic circuits compartment 62. Both of therollers 58, 60 and the stepper motor are mounted on rigid reinforcingmembers (not shown) of the cabinet 12.

A swivel arm 64 is arranged at the transfer location 56 for swingingmovement about an axis perpendicular to the surface of a shelf 50 at thelocation 56, for transferring a bowl 48 on the shelf 50 onto a platform66 when the platform 66 is elevated to the transfer location 56. Swivelarm 64 is actuated at the appropriate time by a solenoid operated pushmechanism 68 supported in the cabinet 12 and driven by circuitry withinthe compartment 62.

The platform 66 is fixed at an end of a shaft 70 supported for axialsliding movement within a sleeve 72 mounted on the floor of the cabinetat 74. The platform shaft 70 has rack teeth engaged with a conventionallinear head motor 76, such as one manufactured by Oriental MotorCompany.

Another swivel arm 78 is supported for swinging movement about an axisperpendicular to the top surface of the platform 66, when the platform66 is at a lower position as shown in solid lines in FIG. 2. Swivel arm78 is driven by another solenoid push mechanism 80 similar to themechanism 68. When a bowl 48 descends to the lower position on theplatform 66, as shown in dashed lines in FIG. 2, the push mechanism 80actuates the swivel arm 78 to transfer the bowl 48 on the platform ontoan upstream end of a food conveyor belt 82.

Depending on environmental conditions, it may be desirable to providerefrigeration means to maintain the food servings in the stored bowls 48in storage section 16 below a certain temperature. In order to preventwarm air from entering the interior of the storage section 16, afeed-through door 84 is provided for closing an opening 86 at the bottomof the storage section 16. The opening 86 allows the platform 66 to beraised into and lowered from the storage section 16 when retrieving abowl 48 from the transfer location 56. A solenoid mechanism 88 engages alip on the door 84 and operates to slide the door open only when a bowl48 is to be retrieved. The solenoid mechanism 88 is actuated byappropriate circuitry within the compartment 62.

Once a food serving in a bowl 48 is lowered from the storage section 16,it may be desirable to warm the food serving particularly if it has beenrefrigerated in the storage section 16. Accordingly, one or more heaters90 supported near the top of the warming section 20 are provided. Theheaters 90 are energized a predetermined time with a bowl 48 containingthe food serving at the lower position on the platform 66, by suitablecontrol circuitry in the compartment 62.

The food conveyor belt 82 is stretched between a drive roller 92 and anidler roller 94 supported for rotation in the food delivery section 24of the cabinet 12. A stepper motor (not shown) engages the drive roller92 and causes the food conveyor belt 82 to advance in the directionshown by the arrow in response to a suitable controller and driver inthe electronic circuits compartment 62. The stepper motor may be aconventional unit such as one manufactured by Oriental Motor Company.The motor and both of the rollers 92, 94 are supported by reinforcingmembers (not shown) within the cabinet 12.

A deflector assembly 96 for the food conveyor belt 82 is arrangedmedially of the stretch of the belt 82 between the rollers 92, 94 asshown in FIGS. 2 and 4B. The purpose of the deflector assembly 96 is toraise the upper stretch of the belt 82 toward the feed opening 28 when abowl 48 containing a food serving is aligned beneath the feed opening28. When so raised, the bowl 48 can be centered and steadily fixedadjacent to the feed opening 28 by conventional guiding and holdingmeans (not shown) so that an animal can eat from the bowl 48 through theopening 28 without difficulty.

Details of the deflector assembly 96 also appear in FIGS. 5 and 6.

Deflector assembly 96 includes a generally "I" shaped deflecting member98 mounted for reciprocal movement between the upper and lower stretchesof the food conveyor belt 82. A toothed rack 100 joins upper and lowerbelt support rails 102, 104 perpendicular to the axis of the rack 100.Belt support rollers 106 are mounted for free rotation about pivot axesat the free ends of corresponding rails 102, 104. The rollers 106frictionally engage the inner surfaces of the food conveyor belt 82 andcause the upper stretch of the belt 82 to deflect as the rack 100 isdriven by a conventional linear head motor 108 with which the rack isengaged. The motor 108 is mounted to a rigid reinforcing member (notshown) in the cabinet 12. Motor 108 includes a conventional gear unitthrough which the toothed rack 100 extends and is driven in thedirection of its axis when the motor 108 is energized by a suitablecontroller and driver in the electronic circuits compartment 62.

As a result of the structure described above, when a bowl 48 is placedat the upstream end of the food conveyor belt 82 and the belt is drivento convey the bowl 48 beneath the feed opening 28, i.e., centered overthe upper belt support rail 102, the bowl 48 can be elevated to registeragainst the feed opening 28 as the motor 108 is energized to drive therack 100 of the deflector assembly 96. A sliding panel 110 arranged toclose the feed opening 28 at times other than when an animal is to befed, is retracted to an open position, shown in FIG. 2, by a solenoidmechanism 112.

After a bowl is raised to a feeding position as shown in dashed lines inFIG. 2, and maintained at the feeding position for a determined timewhile the food conveyor belt 82 is stationary, the deflector assembly 96operates to lower the upper stretch of the belt 82 with the bowl 48 and,after assuming the position shown in solid lines in FIG. 2, the belt 82is driven by its associated stepper motor (not shown) until the bowl 48arrives at a downstream end of the belt 82 in the vicinity of the roller94. The bowl 48 is then deflected off the belt 82 onto a platform 114that can thereafter be lowered on a support shaft 116 arranged forsliding movement in a sleeve 118 mounted on the bottom floor of thecabinet 12. The platform shaft 116 has rack teeth, and is driven by alinear head motor 120 similar to the motors 108 and 76. A swivel arm 122assists in the unloading of the bowl 48 onto the raised platform 114,and another swivel arm 124 urges a bowl placed on the platform 114 ontoa ramp 126. Both swivel arms 122, 124 are actuated by a solenoidmechanism 128 in the cabinet 12. Once placed at the top of the ramp 126,the bowl descends onto the floor of the food delivery section 24 of thecabinet 12, to be retrieved upon opening the third access panel 26 inthe cabinet (FIG. 1).

FIG. 3 is a sectional view through the storage section 16 of theapparatus 10, showing a water supply container 130 mounted in a regionout of the way of the conveyor-driven shelves 50 in the storage section16. A water conduit 132 supplies water that is gravity fed from thecontainer 130 to a water bowl 134 fixed beneath the opening 30 as shownin FIG. 4A. A constant supply of water thus is always available for theanimal. If the food servings in the storage section 16 are maintainedunder refrigeration, an insulating partition wall 136 is provided in thecabinet 12 between the water supply container 130 and the shelves 50 andassociated mechanisms.

FIG. 7 is a schematic block diagram of control circuitry housed in thecompartment 62, for controlling operations of the various mechanismsinside the cabinet 12.

A micro-controller 140 such as, e.g., National Semiconductor COP 440 iscoupled to the input means 36, and to other peripheral input and outputcontrol circuitry as required for proper operation of the presentapparatus 10.

An input data bus 142 connecting the input means 36 and the controller140 to one another, is also connected to the data port 46 so that theinput means of one feeding apparatus 10 can serve as a "master" byinputting various operating parameters to the micro-controllers of otherlike apparatus so connected with one another.

A regulated power supply 144 supplies all required operating voltageswhen connected to outside power mains and a power switch 146 provided ata convenient location on the cabinet 12 is closed. In the event of atemporary power line failure, a battery backup 148 connected to themicro-controller 140 ensures memory retention.

A master clock 150 establishes an operating speed for themicro-controller 140, and a timing control circuit 152 includingdividers and the like supplies required clock signals to the controller140. A phone patch 154 enables a telephone voice input to be reproducedover the speaker 44 on the cabinet 12, and a tape recorder 156 coupledto the controller 140 can be actuated at selected times entered by theinput means 36 to reproduce the animal owner's voice for the comfort ofthe animal.

The heaters 90 are also coupled to the micro-controller 140 to beenergized at the selected feeding times.

The stepper motors for moving the belt 52 that supports the food servingbowl shelves 50, and movement of the food conveyor belt 82, areenergized through respective controller and driver circuits 158, 160coupled to the micro-controller 140 through a multiplexer circuit 162.Motor pulses are counted and belt positions are decoded by a counter anddecoder circuit 164 that is also connected to the multiplexer 162 andsupplies corresponding inputs to the controller 140. The linear headmotors 76, 108 and 120 are also energized via respective controller anddriver circuits 166, 168 and 170 through multiplexer 162 and anothermultiplexer circuit 172. Motor pulse count and position informationassociated with the motors 76, 108 and 120 is also provided to thecontroller 140 by the counter and decoder 164 and both multiplexercircuits 162, 172.

The solenoid mechanisms 68, 80, 88, 112 and 128 are energized atdetermined times by operation of the controller 140 through multiplexercircuit 174.

The controller and driver circuits, multiplexer circuits and pulsecounter and position decoder circuit are conventional circuits and maybe obtained in the form of integrated circuit devices well-known tothose skilled in the art.

For the initial set-up and operation of the apparatus 10, the cabinet 12is moved on the casters 14 to a desired feeding location, and leveledwith the aid of bubble level 34 on the cabinet 12. The water supplycontainer 130 is filled, connected to the water conduit 132 through awater-tight cap, and inverted and mounted in the storage section 16.Individual food servings are prepared and placed in the bowls 48, andthe bowls are placed on successive shelves 50 in the storage section 16.

With power applied, the operator loads into the system memory throughthe keypad 38 of the input means 36, the following information:

1. Is refrigeration required?

2. If yes above, warming cycle time.

3. Delivery time of each meal during the day.

4. Total number of meals.

5. When to playback recorded messages.

6. Optional medication (pills), dog snacks.

The above entries may be prompted by the LC display 40. When a startbutton on the keypad 38 is pushed, the micro-controller 140 performs thefollowing operations.

The solenoid activated feed-through door 84 is slid open, and theplatform 66 operated by linear head motor 76 is elevated to the level ofthe lower-most shelf 50 in the storage section 16. Solenoid mechanism 68actuates the swivel arm 64 to push the lower-most bowl 48 onto theplatform 66. Platform 66 is then lowered by the motor 76 to the level ofthe food conveyor belt 82. While in this position and if warming isrequired, the heaters 90 in the warming section 20 are turned on for theselected time. After completion of the warming cycle, the swivel arm 78actuated by the solenoid mechanism 80 places the bowl 48 onto theupstream end of the food conveyor belt 82. Belt 82 is then driven bystepper motor 200 (FIG. 4). When stepper motor 200 has received asufficient number of pulses to move the bowl 48 on the belt 82 to theposition below the feed opening 28, the belt 82 is stopped.

Solenoid mechanism 112 connected to sliding panel 110 operates and,simultaneously, the linear head motor 108 is driven to raise and lockthe bowl 48, now resting on the belt 86, at the feeding position whichis maintained for the length of time that the system programmer desiresto leave the food serving exposed to the animal. A pre-recorded messagefrom the animal's owner, or a telephone message, can be reproducedduring the feeding times. As mentioned, water is always available to theanimal in the open water bowl 134.

When the preset feeding time is finished, the motor 108 is energized anamount sufficient to return the belt 82 and the bowl 48 to a levelconfiguration, and the solenoid mechanism 112 is de-energized to allowthe protective food panel 110 to slide back in place. The stepping motorfor the belt 82 now receives the number of pulses necessary to place thebowl 48 at the downstream end of the belt 82 where the solenoidmechanism 128 can push the bowl onto the platform 114 via the swivel arm122. The bowl is lowered by operation of the motor 120 and ejected fromthe platform 114 by the swivel arm 124 (also operated by solenoidmechanism 128). Ejection of the empty bowl into the storage compartmentof the food delivery section 24 ends the first feeding cycle.Micro-controller 140 now supplies stepper motor 57 (FIG. 4) with anumber of pulses sufficient to lower the next shelf 50 of the mealstorage conveyor to the transfer location 56.

By pre-programmed control, the complete operation cycle can be repeatedat each selected feeding interval.

If desired, one or more additional gravity feed dispensers may be addedwhich, under the control of micro-controller 140, will dispensemedication in pill form, such as vitamins or minerals, as well as"animal treats".

The apparatus described herein can be used as a stand-alone unit capableof supplying all the food required for a single animal such as a dogwhile at home, for a period of up to about 3-5 days depending on thenumber and kind of programmed meals to be dispensed each day. For kenneloperation, one unit can become a master control unit which, by beingconnected to additional units via the data port 46, can control thefeeding of additional animals in different pens. For record keeping, anoptional printer could be connected to the cluster of stations in orderto record the station number, date, time, type of meal and medication.

FIG. 8 is a schematic block diagram of a telephone line interfacearrangement for the control circuitry of FIG. 7, by which controlparameters including the feeding times and other operating parametersentered via the input means 36, can be set by the animal owner or otherauthorized person from a remote telephone.

For example, with the telephone line interface arrangement of FIG. 8incorporated in the control circuitry of FIG. 7, the selection of mealsand their delivery times can be programmed from any remote telephone, asfollows.

The animal owner or other authorized individual dials from any remotetelephone an assigned telephone number, and is connected via phone lines201 with loop-start access module 202. The access module 202auto-answers, and selected tone signals are applied to the input ofmodule 202 by the caller. These tone signals activate a DTMF (dual tonemulti-frequency) decoder 203. Module 202 and decoder 203 may be, e.g.,device types 9196 and 6073 both available from Tellabs, Inc. of Lisle,Ill.

A conventional level converter circuit 204 converts negative voltagedigital signals to positive TTL logic voltage levels. The decoded tonesignals from the DTMF decoder 203 are in decimal form, and are decodedinto BCD code by decoder 205 (e.g., T.I. type 54147) to be fed tomultiplexer 206 (T.I. type 54157). Multiplexer 206 enables the feedingtimes to be selected by either the local key pad 38 or the remotetelephone, and passes the BCD data into a RAM memory of themicro-controller 140 (FIG. 7).

Meal number data can be entered in the form of an 8-bit word for mealnumbers from 1 to 6, and corresponding meal delivery time data may beentered in the form of two 8-bit words so as to set each desireddelivery time over a given day from 00.10 to 24.00 hours. A # symboltone entered by the caller may signify "end of line".

Various modifications of the animal feeding system disclosed herein willbe apparent to those skilled in the art, without departing from thescope of the invention as delineated by the following claims.

We claim:
 1. Animal feeding apparatus, comprising:a cabinet having afeed opening; storage means in said cabinet for storing a number ofindividually prepared food servings for the animal; dispensing meansdisposed in operative relation to said storage means for retrieving eachof said food servings and for conveying each retrieved serving to thevicinity of the feed opening in said cabinet at selected times; andcontrol means including input means and coupled to said dispensingmeans, for enabling each of the food servings stored in said storagemeans to be retrieved and conveyed to said feed opening at selectedfeeding times entered via said input means; wherein said input meansincludes decoding means for connecting with an outside telephone lineand for decoding data corresponding to said selected feeding times astransmitted over the telephone line from a remote location.
 2. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein said input means includes a local keypad,and multiplexing means coupled to said keypad and said decoding meansfor enabling said feeding times to be selected either by said keypad orsaid decoding means.
 3. Animal feeding apparatus, comprising:a cabinetincluding a storage section, a warming section, and a food deliverysection having a feed opening; meal storage conveyor means in thestorage section of said cabinet and including a first endless belt and anumber of shelves depending from the belt for supporting individual foodservings for the animal, and for aligning successive ones of the shelveswith a transfer location at a lower region of said storage section;retrieving means in the warming section of the cabinet for retrieving afood serving from a shelf of the meal storage conveyor means when theshelf is aligned with said transfer location, and for lowering the foodserving to a warming position below the storage section; food deliverymeans in the food delivery section of the cabinet and including a secondendless belt for conveying a food serving from said warming position tothe vicinity of said feed opening at selected feeding times; and controlmeans including input means and coupled to said meal storage conveyormeans, said retrieving means and said food delivery means, for causingeach of the food servings stored on said shelves to be retrieved at saidtransfer location and conveyed by the second endless belt proximate tosaid feed opening after the selected feeding times are entered by saidinput means.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein said retrieving meanscomprises a platform and a shaft supporting the platform for verticalmovement between said transfer location and said warming position, and afirst swivel arm member for transferring a food serving on eachsuccessive shelf onto the platform when the shelf and the platform arealigned with said transfer position.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4,wherein said food delivery means includes a second swivel arm member fortransferring a food serving on said platform when at said warmingposition, onto an upstream end of said second endless belt.
 6. Theapparatus of claim 3, wherein said food delivery means includes meansfor deflecting a stretch of said second endless belt that extends belowsaid feed opening so that a food serving on the belt can be placedadjacent to said feed opening for a certain time while the belt isstationary.
 7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said deflecting meansincludes a generally I-shaped member arranged for vertical movementbetween upper and lower stretches of said second endless belt.
 8. Theapparatus of claim 3, including means for refrigerating stored foodservings, and means for warming the refrigerated food servings prior toconveying the food servings to the animal, and wherein said controlmeans includes means for controlling operation of said refrigeratingmeans and said warming means in response to corresponding informationentered via said input means.
 9. Animal feeding apparatus, comprising:acabinet including a storage section, a warming section, and a fooddelivery section having a feed opening; meal storage conveyor means inthe storage section of said cabinet and including a first endless beltand a number of shelves depending from the belt for supportingindividual food servings for the animal, and for aligning successiveones of the shelves with a transfer location at a lower region of saidstorage section; retrieving means in the warming section of the cabinetfor retrieving a food serving from a shelf of the meal storage conveyormeans when the shelf is aligned with said transfer location, and forlowering the food serving to a warming position below the storagesection; food delivery means in the food delivery section of the cabinetand including a second endless belt for conveying a food serving fromsaid warming position to the vicinity of said feed opening at selectedfeeding times; and control means including input means and coupled tosaid meal storage conveyor means, said retrieving means and said fooddelivery means, for causing each of the food servings stored on saidshelves to be retrieved at said transfer location and conveyed by thesecond endless belt proximate to said feed opening after the selectedfeeding times are entered by said input means; wherein said input meansincludes decoding means for connecting with an outside telephone lineand for decoding data corresponding to said selected feeding times astransmitted over the telephone line from a remote location.
 10. Theapparatus of claim 9, wherein said input means includes a local keypad,and multiplexing means coupled to said keypad and said decoding meansfor enabling said feeding times to be selected by either said keypad orsaid decoding means.